Be sure to include your name, daytime phone number, address, name and phone number of legal next-of-kin, method of payment, and the name of the funeral home/crematory to contact for verification of death.

Many tractor-trailers on the nation's roads are driven faster than the 75 mph their tires are designed to handle, a practice that has been linked to wrecks and blowouts but has largely escaped the attention of highway officials.

The opening of a wave of new apartment communities in downtown Durham and Raleigh promises to usher in a new phase of downtown redevelopment activity in the Triangle. It also has the potential to reshape the growth patterns for a region that until now has been known more for its sprawling subdivisions than its urban living.

Major U.S. stock indexes veered lower in late-afternoon trading Tuesday, on course for their first decline in two days. Traders seized on the final day of the quarter to do some profit-taking and prune their portfolios. Health care stocks were among the biggest decliners. Oil prices extended their slide.

Volvo Car Corp. announced Monday that it plans to invest $500 million in building a new plant in the United States, and multiple reports have said North Carolina is among several southeastern states in the running.

Blogs & Columns

State Treasurer Janet Cowell announced Tuesday the state has kept its AAA general obligation bond rating, with a stable outlook, with all three rating agencies. Cowell said in a statement that Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings have kept North Carolina as one of only 10 states to earn the AAA bond rating from all three rating agencies.

State Treasurer Janet Cowell announced Tuesday the state has kept its AAA general obligation bond rating, with a stable outlook, with all three rating agencies. Cowell said in a statement that Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings have kept North Carolina as one of only 10 states to earn the AAA bond rating from all three rating agencies.

Google Plus advocate Mark Traphagen said he is spending more time on other social media channels as he is realizing that Google Plus isn’t taking off in terms of active users compared to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Writing an effective tagline for your company is one of the hardest branding tasks. It is easy to write a bad or ineffective one, and challenging to create one that succinctly communicates everything about your brand.

North Carolina’s 26 cooperatives have become a critical part of the state’s economy. They serve more than 2.5 million people in 93 counties and employ 2,300 skilled workers. Their $5.8 billion in assets are owned by their customers – 99 percent of whom are residents and small businesses.

You have until the typical tax filing date of April 15, regardless of extensions, to make an IRA contribution for the previous tax year. You have until your filing date including extensions to remove an excess contribution from a Roth IRA and avoid a 6 percent excess contribution penalty tax.

State Treasurer Janet Cowell announced Tuesday the state has kept its AAA general obligation bond rating, with a stable outlook, with all three rating agencies. Cowell said in a statement that Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings have kept North Carolina as one of only 10 states to earn the AAA bond rating from all three rating agencies.

A local GOP fundraiser charged in a $20 million insurance scheme after three mansion fires in five years cursed and discussed the Mafia while meeting with a jewelry appraiser about her claims, the appraiser testified Tuesday.

A San Francisco newspaper has received a series of emails from a person claiming responsibility for a California woman's abduction, including one demanding that police apologize to the woman for calling it a hoax.

Companies that judge how likely big borrowers are to repay their debt have given their top rating to North Carolina ahead of a new round of bond sales, state Treasurer Janet Cowell's office said Tuesday.

The IRS has eliminated a huge processing backlog of groups seeking tax-exempt status, the agency's chief said Tuesday. Tea party organizations' claims that they were singled out for tough treatment when they applied for that designation were at the heart of a 2013 controversy over the agency.